Microsoft has set aside sales of retail versions of Windows 7 and 8, with 8.1 now the only packaged software that can be found on store shelves. Consumers cannot purchase retail copies of Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium or Ultimate, and Windows 8 has also been pulled - new PCs and laptops will have Windows 8.1 pre-installed.

Windows 10, which Microsoft hopes can convince users to put full faith back into the Windows OS, is scheduled for release in late 2015.

Some manufacturers will allow customers to downgrade from Windows 8.1 down to Windows 7 Professional - and indicates Microsoft is desperate to get consumers to forget about Windows 8, even though it's just two years old.